Generating video clips

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The form that works

Moving subject: [who or what] [action], [speed: slow, jittery, all at once].
Secondary elements: [wind, rain, flickering light, crowd].
Camera: [locked shot, slow push in, orbit around the subject, handheld].
Rhythm: [calm, rising tension, burst].

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Before / after

Make the image move

Slow push in toward the face, the hair moves in the wind, she turns her head toward us at the end, fine rain in the background, calm rhythm.

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Stitching clips together

Stitch clips 1, 3 and 2 with a crossfade, and put the session's music underneath while keeping the clips' sound.

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Common mistakes

• Redescribing the image instead of the movement: say what changes.
• Too many actions in a single clip: a short clip holds one gesture or one camera move, not a whole scene.
• Forgetting the camera: without an instruction, it often stays frozen.
• Asking for a length beyond what the engine allows: the maximum length varies by engine, look at the range shown.
• An end image requested from an engine that doesn’t handle it: choose an engine that accepts it.

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Settings that go with it

• Engine: maximum length, end image, native sound, number of references vary. See Choosing an engine.
• Duration, Format, Resolution: the price is counted per second, so use a short length to test.
• Sound: on or off when the engine offers it.
• On an image from the session, “Use as start image” places it in the request.
• Test short before launching long: see Spending credits wisely.

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Examples to copy

Locked shot, the rain falls and the neon lights flicker softly, smoke rises from the gutter, slow rhythm.

The camera circles the character as he turns back toward us, fluid movement, light that changes as it passes behind him.

Fast zoom on the product, droplets burst out around it, the camera pulls back suddenly at the end, jittery rhythm.